I have an OTTB that is ready to begin retraining under saddle. She will be my first one to restart and I’ve done a little research on what to expect and haven’t gotten much from it. I’m not looking to make her in to any competition ready horse, I’m just going to focus on basics and more trail type riding than anything else for now.
How much goes in to track training young thoroughbreds?
What can I expect her to know?
Depends on whose barn she was in, but she should have basics–she can w/t/c, though she’s more likely to fall into the canter, and she’ll probably have a solid preference for one lead over the other. She may or may not know how to lunge or ground-drive (it may have been done when she was training, but she probably won’t have had it done much or at all since.) She’s not going to have much experience being “on the bit” the way most people are used to. You’ll need to get used to easing up on her mouth rather than pulling back. She SHOULD know that if you sit chilly with long stirrups and aren’t giving her a lot of mouth contact, you want her relaxed.
A lot depends on her temper. I got lucky when I got Lucky ( 
) because he’s an old war horse–64 starts up and down the east coast with a solid workman attitude all through his career. It’s not in his nature to put up a fuss or be hyper-spooky about things. Generally, if I remained calm about something when we would try something new, he’d keep calm about it. My old TB, otoh, was the ultra-observant one and you better believe if that spreader is parked six inches over from where it was yesterday, he noticed and was suspicious. He had to be worked consistently and calmly and not given time to consider anything scary too much.
Assume she was not well broke, and start from the beginning. Your biggest obstacle is to teach her to yield to pressure. You’ll find she gets some things fast since she has been ridden regularly, but has some major holes in her foundation. You want to fix the holes before you get on her, and it will make her confident.
This website might be helpful.
http://offtrackthoroughbredhelp.com
Anna Ford has written a great book on the subject. You can find it on most new and used book sites.
Another thing, contact to an OTTB fresh off the track often means “Go Faster!!!”
Most on track horses are not familiar with cross ties, they are single tied, in stall for grooming. Riders are given a leg up, usually while the horse is moving, so be patient with mounting.
As mentioned above, long reins and long legs mean relax. You really have to be confident enough to let go. Don’t pull, ever.
What a given horse knows is very much dependent on who started him, who managed him and what (if anything) he did in his downtime. Best to assume that he knows mothing and find that he has some training than the opposite.
If you are on FB, follow Denny Emerson or his farm Tamarack Hill. He is a former Olympian in eventing who does a lot with TB’s. His protégé, Daryl Kinney is also worth a follow.
TB’s are great for horsemen who are willing to really look at a horse and determine what they need. Many horses coming off the track are perfectly fine to start a new career, some need time to chill. If they are sound and level headed, start them off with easy stuff, lots of walking and trotting, but not lots of transitions. They are used to long jogs or canters so the tendency to change gaits annoys them. Most TB’s have great canters, but… on the track the canter is just a transition from trot to gallop and isn’t developed in and of itself. Canter departs come later. On track they just trot faster and faster until they canter. Don’t assume that he knows a lot of legs aids. He might, but don’t assume it. Those are usually buttons that have to be added.
Thank you all for your responses, I should have included a few more details in my initial post.
She’s had just over 2 years off the track just being a pasture horse.
I’ve done the groundwork with her.
She’s coming back from severe emaciation.
She’s fairly even tempered on the ground.
I’ve had plenty of experience with other horses and staying relaxed and confident isn’t an issue.
If you’ve done the ground work, she will respond the same way under saddle as she does on the ground.
[QUOTE=Palm Beach;9003464]
If you’ve done the ground work, she will respond the same way under saddle as she does on the ground.[/QUOTE]
I understand that much. I’m asking for what I can expect her to know that I can’t teach her from the ground, like leg cues.
Same thing - treat her as if she knows nothing. They get very basic stuff when they are broke, and she will not be able to move her shoulders, hips or do any lateral movements. You’ll probably be doing a mix of ground/saddle for a while, depending on how quickly she learns and attains flexibility.
Ok, thank you.
You’ll be fine. Forward is already there, just make sure you have a Stop and work on the different body parts, moving the shoulders, moving the hips, etc. You’ll be surprised at how fast she goes from feeling stiff and awful to strong and flexible.
That’s what I’m hoping for. I’m just hoping she doesn’t take as long to come around as my mare did, she was stiff and dull for a good 6 months before she started to really supple up and become a bit more responsive. She was a barrel horse before I got my hands on her. The thoroughbred is really sweet and well-minded on the ground and I’m really hoping she is that way under saddle as well. We are planning on getting on her this weekend, I’ve been lunging her with a lightweight synthetic saddle to prep her and she’s not batted an eyelash. Fingers crossed.
Update
Just got done with her first ride and she did really well. She stood for me to mount and waited until I was all the way in the saddle before walking off. She was very content just walking around, not nervous or energetic. She had no desire to go any faster than a walk, I asked her to trot a bit and she gave me a wonderful jog. I rode in a hackamore as she does need her teeth done, and she gave to it well. She did understand leg to go forward which was nice. The only complaint about the whole thing is that she wouldn’t stand still after stopping, but patience comes with time. All in all, a really good start.
Some horses on the track get used to standing still mounted, others don’t. Some trainers have a set walk onto the track and just stand for a bit. When doing so, they are in a group, often youngsters with older pros. This is where “don’t pull” comes into play. Try to just sit. Eventually they get that you really don’t want them to do anything, at all.
Sounds like you have a nice one with a good mind. Keep us posted!
Some horses on the track get used to standing still mounted, others don’t. Some trainers have a set walk onto the track and just stand for a bit. When doing so, they are in a group, often youngsters with older pros. This is where “don’t pull” comes into play. Try to just sit. Eventually they get that you really don’t want them to do anything, at all.
Sounds like you have a nice one with a good mind. Keep us posted!
Dani, sounds good except the part where she walked off before you asked her to. And it sounds like she is a bit antsy if she won’t stand still. At this point, I’d still be doing lots of ground work, and when it’s time for a rest, I’d climb aboard and let her rest with me sitting on her. Then I’d get down and have her work again. Teaching Stop is the most important thing, and frequently overlooked. It’s hard to have a wreck if your horse is standing still.
She stops and stands now for me, I think she was a little confused and anxious the first ride. I’ve been on her a few more times and she isn’t moving off until I ask and she will stop and stand for a bit now.
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